Leaving The White House
by Doc House
Summary: Everyone's thoughts before leaving the White House after eight years.


TITLE: Leaving The White House. AUTHOR: Melissa Orr DISCLAIMER: Don't own them, never will.  
  
  
  
Abigail Ann Bartlet- Well, the jackass ran for a second term without consulting me. Sure, I was mad at first, I even yelled at poor Toby Ziegler. (But I made it up to him; I got him and CJ together) But when I saw the determination in Jed's eyes. I knew that he wanted and needed to be in that White House for another four years. And even with the trial and all the problems Jed and his staff had to go through, they still won re- election. I must admit, I didn't think they would win. But those people are some of the best people I have ever known. Their smart, sensitive, loving, and generally care about what happens in this Country. I truly believe that my husband couldn't have had a better staff then who he did. I was proud to stand by my husbands' side as he was sworn in as President. And I was proud to stand by him as he won re-election. And I remember the night he won re- election. He pulled me to the side and told me that the only thing that made it worth winning was the look on the faces of his staff. He ran for them, he wanted them to win. They worked so hard, and look what they did. They came out from the rubble that they were under and won an election no one thought they would win. That's our team. As we all go out separate ways, I remember the good times: and the bad times. Now no matter what happens, my newfound family will be with me. My daughter: CJ. My four sons: Charlie, Josh, Sam, and Toby. My brother: Leo. And my husband: who is truly my best friend. Even though he's a jackass most of the time.  
  
Josiah Jed Bartlet- I never thought I would be President. I never thought anyone would vote for me. Then, out of nowhere, my best friend Leo McGarry came to me and asked me to run. I thought it was a joke. But he brought me a staff that shocked me. A man that was able to put any emotion on paper and make it sound good. Toby Ziegler will always be my favorite writer. He taught Sam everything he knows, and Sam's a better writer because of it: A man who surprised me by his attitude towards life, and his ambition towards if work. Josh Lyman is a man of few words, well, sometimes. He has a good heart, and a great attitude. I wish him great luck in his life ahead: Charlie Young, now there's a kid for you. He's smart, good-looking (even though I still think I look better), and he knows what he wants from life. He never wanted anyone to feel sorry for him. He wanted to be treated just like everyone else. He told me once that all he wanted was to be part of the team. And in my heart, and everyone else's, he did just that: CJ, she was the one person who kept me on my feet for the whole 8 years. She's objective, and never afraid to speak what's on her mind. She was the only one who could put Toby back in his place, and that right there takes skill. No wonder those two fell head over heals for each other. Which was MY doing. As we all go out separate ways, I remember the good times: and the bad times. Now no matter what happens, my staff is always going to be there for me. They forgave me after I lied to them. And they stayed with me and fought for another term. They are my family, and I will never, ever forget them.  
  
Claudia Jean Cregg - My time in the White House is a time I will never forget. I always wanted to help those people in need, and being here made that possibility come true. I believe that Josiah Bartlet is a great man and a great leader. I was proud to call myself his press secretary and most of all, his friend. For the past 8 years, I have formed a new family. Three brothers: Josh, Sam, and Charlie. Or as I call them: Dimples, Spanky, and my main man. Two fathers: Jed and Leo. A mom: Abby. Four sisters: Bonnie, Carol, Donna, and Ginger. Or as I call them: the four musketeers. And of course: my best friend, Toby. The man can be stubborn at times, but I did get him to finally admit his feelings to me. The little flirt. As we all go our separate ways, I remember the good times: and the bad times. Now no matter what happens, my spin boys are always going to be there. And when we all meet up again, which will probably be my wedding to that stubborn man, we will all enjoy the time we have with each other. Even if it's short. At least we have that little time we can be with each other. And in my book, means more to me then anything.  
  
Joshua Josh Lyman- The White House. That was the place I dreamed of visiting when I was a kid. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would work there. For the last 8 years, I have been through more then I ever could imagine. I got to help people I never met, and it felt good. I loved the feeling of helping those in need, even if I don't know them personally. This job really helped me too. My life has always been quite, how should I put this, fast I guess is a good word for it. It seems like I grew up way to fast. I lost a sister, who was my best friend. She taught me about life, and about love. I lost my dad. And when I was 10, I saw my next-door neighbor hit my dog with his car. I'm still healing from that. See, I always seem to loose people I care about. And in the past 8 years, I realized that there are people out there who care about me. And I realized that even though there not blood relatives, they're my family in heart. Sam, my best friend, he's a good man to know. He has a huge heart. He would do anything for anybody. CJ, a sister, she was the one who made me think about my life and how I live it. She told me that I needed to find someone to love and settle down because I couldn't be a playboy forever. So she pushed me into telling Donna that I had some feelings for her. Which worked out because we our expecting out first child in the spring: Leo, and father, this man taught me more then anyone. He was a friend to me when I needed one. He was there when I needed to talk to someone. And he was there to make me get my work done. He says I mess around too much. I still don't know what he's talking about: Charlie, this kid amazed me. He's smart and knows where he's going in his life. I'd like to say that he reminds me of a younger version of me, but I'd be lying. At that age, I thought I was going to be driving a bus or something: Toby, the man that saved my life, more then once. The man has the biggest heart; it's just rare to see it. He found me when I was shot and made sure I was taken care of. Now, thanks to me, Toby and CJ will be getting married soon. Yes, I was the one who got those two together. As we all go our separate ways, I remember the good times: and the bad times. Now no matter what happens, I know that I have a family that I can go to for help. And maybe, for a babysitter.  
  
Leo Thomas McGarry- Well, that was an interesting 8 years. But I will admit that it was probably the best 8 years of my life. Even though my wife left me, and my daughter fell for Sam, I still managed to survive. Jed surprised me. He became the greatest leader this Country had seen in a very long time. I think he enjoyed it as well, even though his stubborn self will probably never admit that. I don't like to gloat, but I think I will for a minute. Now bear with me. I think I picked the best staff this White House has ever seen: Great leadership and great writing. The men and women were the best and the brightest. And I am proud of every one of them. Josh, the perfect deputy for me. He knew my moods and I knew his. We worked together. He made me proud everyday because of the attitude he showed for his job. He brought certain energy to me; no one ever did that before. Sam, the perfect deputy for Toby, the poor kid deserves a medal for putting up with Toby on his bad days. He learned a lot, I think, from Toby. Toby's a good teacher. Just be sure to get on his good side: CJ, the best Press Secretary, for a woman to put up with all the guys, she did a pretty good job. She stood her ground. No wonder Toby loves her. It just took me to convince him to tell her the truth about his feelings he has towards her: Charlie, the boy wonder. He put up with Jed and he put up with me. He's smart and knows where he's going in the future. I just hope I can be here to see his dreams come true. As we all go are separate ways, I remember the good times: and the bad times. Now no matter what happens, these friends will be there for me. Always, and forever.  
  
Donna Donnatella Moss- I will never forget my time working in the White House. Working with all the men and women that I grew to love and respect. I learned more then I ever thought was possible here. I learned about politics, life, love, and friendship. Most of the population in the White House was male, but we woman stood our ground I think. We made the men stand up and pay attention. That's the way it should be. Josh, my loving Josh. Yes, he drives me crazy, but I did spend most of the time working here wanting to be with him. Now look at me, he knocked me up. (Little joke) Now I'm all emotional. When CJ told me that her and Toby were going to get married, I think I cried for a week. I was so happy, after all, I was the reason they got together in the first place. CJ and Toby reminded me of one of those old TV couples that bicker a lot when I first started. They were so much fun to watch. I'm so proud I'm the one who brought them together: Sam, the man with a huge heart. He truly looked after everyone in this administration. He helped me with Josh when I needed it, and he did it with compassion: Leo, the man my Josh respected more then anyone. Every night, it's Leo this, and Leo that. If I didn't like Leo so much, I would throw Josh out the window. But everything Josh says is true. Leo's honest, caring, and giving. Well when he's not yelling at everyone: Jed: The President, I always feel my stomach twist in knots when he's in the room. Even now that he's not the president anymore. He's so powerful and owns any room he's in. Charlie, my main man, I love Charlie. He's so young, yet so smart. He has a great future ahead of himself. I can't wait to see where he goes. As we all go are separate ways, I remember the good times: and the bad times. Now no matter what happens, I will have all these people in my life. As a husband (someday), friends, and family.  
  
Samuel Norman Seaborn- I can't even begin to describe to you the amount of knowledge that I have learned in the past 8 years working at the White House. I learned about writing, friendship, love, politics, and family. I never saw myself working in the White House. I thought only the best and the brightest could work there. And I didn't think I was good enough. Then, Josh showed me the door and I knew I was up for the challenge. I would have to say the biggest challenge I had while working in the White House wasn't the writing, it wasn't even working with the President of the United States. It was trying to get Toby's approval. Toby was the man I wanted to become, and not having his approval would have killed me. He's my favorite writer. If I could have one wish, it would be to be just like him. He started out cold and distant, but soon, became acceptable to my work. Then, slowly, I became his friend. He once told me that I was a good deputy. I can never begin to describe the way that saying made me feel. But he isn't the only one that taught me things: Leo, he taught me about everything I needed to know about politics: Josh, he taught me how to take charge in a meeting. He also taught me more about life and friendship: CJ, I admire this woman more then any woman I have ever met. She put up with us. And she did it with a smile on her face, well, most of the time. She's smiling now because I played matchmaker and got her and Toby together. I'm so good: Jed, the man I respect. He did something I could never do. Run this Country. He was the best man for the job, I'm glad I was here to witness that: Charlie, that kid has skill. He could do anything. Anyone who had to put up with everyone's mood all the time deserves some kind of award. As we all go our separate ways, I remember the good times: and the bad times. Now no matter what happens, I will always have all my teachers there for me.  
  
Charlie Young- Okay, this was one place I never saw myself working at. Man, it was great. I learned so much here. Even if everyone there drove me crazy once in a while. I got some job offers at some great firms. I always wanted to be a lawyer, and working here made my dream come true. Now I get to help people who really need it. I can show off my skill. I learned about friendship here as well. Jed, my main man, he's a great leader. He ran this Country with his heart and his mind. When he uses both of those, he's got game: Leo, the man that held all of us together, even when we were bleeding. He trusted all of us to make our own decisions. I respect that: Sam, that guy cracks me up, I feel sorry for him. He got all the crappy assignments that even I wouldn't take. He's got a good sole, that's going to get him far in life: Josh, the man's smart, I'll give him that. He has always been really helpful when it came to my love life with Zoey. He gave me some pointers, some I took, and some I ignored: CJ, now she's a fine woman, both mentally and physically. I was amazed how much she would stand up for herself. She's cool. Which is why I got her and Toby together: Toby, now this man has skill. His writing amazes me. The way he can take a group of words together and make them sound as good as they do, damn, he's good. As we all go our separate ways, I remember the good times: and the bad times. Now no matter what happens, I will always have my gang with me.  
  
Toby Zachary Ziegler- What, it's been 8 years already? Times flies by when you're having fun. Sorry, I'm feeling a little sarcastic today. I'll be honest; I'm going to miss working there. I'm going to miss writing for the President. But most of all, I'm going to miss seeing all those people. Yeah, they all drive me crazy, but I do like them. Well, some of them. Jed and Leo remind me too much like each other. The way they handle things, the way the yell at people, mostly me. It's weird; it was like the where separated at birth. But you know what? They are two of the greatest guys I knew. They know how to handle anything that comes their way. I respect that. And remember that, because I will probably never repeat it. Josh and Sam, the bash brothers. Not one of them can hold their liquor. I've always been the one having to drive them home and tuck them in. I don't know what they're going to do if I'm not there to take care of them. But, okay, they're both extremely good at what they do. Sam is a great writer. And Josh is a good 'get things done' kind of guy: Charlie, okay so he beat me at pool, I still say I let him win. I was just being nice to him that one time. If he wants to play again, I can't promise I'll be as nice. But, he's smart. Sometimes I think he's too smart. Which is good and bad. He'll be the best Lawyer in town, but his love life may suffer. He's like a younger me. Yet I found my love: CJ, yep that's her. I've known her for twenty years. Yes, I probably should have told her I loved her a long time ago, but how was I supposed to know that she felt the same way? I had no idea. As we all go our separate ways, I remember the good times: and the bad times. Now know matter what happens, I know I will have these friends by my side.  
  
The End. 


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